Susie hale mcelroy



J. F. McELROY, DECD.

s. H. McELROY. zxscunux.

ELECTROMAGNETIC VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 21, 1912.

Patented Aug. 1, 1916.

' gvwewtoz M @430 3513 A? ato zmu 16/.

qwLme/aoeo $yM/W UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES F. McELROY, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK; SUSIE HALE MCELROY, EXECUTRIX 0F SAID JAMES F. MCELROY, DECEASED, ASSIGNOR T0 CONSOLIDATED CAR-HEATING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

ELECTROMAGNETIC VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1, 1916.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it"known that I, JAMES F. MCELROY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Albany, county of Albany, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electromagnetic Valves, the following being a full, clear, and exact disclosure of the one form of my invention which I at present deem preferable.

For a detailed description of the present form of my invention, reference may be had to the following specification and to the accompanying drawing, which illustrates my invention.

My invention relates to an electro-magnetic valve of a simple,,compact and effective construction having the features herein shown and described. In the accompanying drawing 29 represents a block or casting containing a central chamber 30 which has a delivery outlet adapted to be put into communication with a delivery -pipe through which the controlled fluid, such as compressed air, is to be conducted to some suitable apparatus which the air is to operate. Above the chamber 30 is a chamber 31 which serves as an exhaust chamber being in communication with the atmosphere by a duct 32. In the partition which separates chambers 30 and 31 is formed a port having a conical valve seat for the exhaust valve. Beneath chamber 30 is another chamber 33, closed at its bottom by a screw plug 34,Whl0l1 chamber is in communication with the source of supply for the compressed air by means of the axial passage through the screw plug 34. The partition between chambers 30 and 33 is provided with a port having a valve seat for the admission valve 210. This admission valve is seated on a coiled spring 28 located within the air passage through screw plug 34 and seated upon cross bars 35 within that passage. The spring 28 will tend to close the valve in cooperation with the air pressure behind the valve. The valve 210 is provided with a stem 27 which passes upward through both the admission and exhaust valve seats and enters a hole in the lower extremity of a non-magnetic rod 26 which I will describe hereinafter. In the upper end of the aforesaid casting 29 is screwed a tube 25 of magnetic material forming the central axially-perforated core of the electro-l'nagnet. The magnetic coils 24 surround the said core 25 and are contalned in a cup-shaped shell or casing 23, the said core 25 being screwed into the bottom of the said casing 23 at its center and secured in place by a nut 20. The upper end of the shell or casing 23 receives a screw threaded cover 26 preferably of non-magnetic material.

21 is the armature of the magnet, being contained within the space-between cover and the core and of disk form, and, when the magnet 1s deenergized, is normally held by means of plate springs 22 in a position away from the upper end of the core 25 and the edge-of the casing 23 which constitute the respective poles of the magnet. The nonmagnetic rod 26 is secured to the center of the armature disk 21 and passes down through the axial perforation in the core 25 into the chamber 31. At its lower end it is beveled to conical shape and serves as the exhaust valve, being forced down against the valve seat by the armature21 whenever the magnet is excited and retracted by springs 22 when the magnet is deenergized.

It will be observed that the spring 28 is relied upon to operate the admission valve 210 in an upward direction to close the valve, while it is operated in a downward direction to openv the valve by means of the non-magnetic rod 26 which engages the valve stem 27 and forces down the valve 210 whenever the magnet is energized. At the same time the energizing of the magnet forces the rod 26 down upon the valve seat to close the exhaust valve. By this arrangement a single magnetic coil serves for a control of both valves acting to permit the closure of the admission valve whenever the exhaust valve is open and, on the other hand, closing the exhaust valve whenever the admission valve is open In this manner the air can be a1- ternately admitted to or allowed to exhaust from the apparatus which the air is intended to operate.

A valuable feature of this invention is that the lower spring 28 carries only the very light valve 210 with its short stem 27. The load of the armature and rod 26 is taken off the 5 ring 28 and carried by the top springs 22. The consequence is that this valve 210, which 'is the important valve, since it controls the communication with the source of air supply, is held firmly and securely against its seat by the spring 28 independently of any of the other elements of the structure. This is of particular im: portance in railway cars where this valve is largely used, since the jarring of the heavy parts, such as the armature and the stem, with their inertia, would tend to disturb the valve unless it were rendered independent thereof.

Another valuable feature is the location of the springs 22 that carry the armature in the space between the under side of the armature andtop side of the coils. This allows the armature to stand in close proximity to the poles of the magnet, one pole being the central core 25 and the other pole being the outer shell 23. A more important value of this arrangement is, however, that it avoids the necessity of interposing a spring, large enough and strong enough to carry the armature, in the chain of pipe connections below the magnet, while it also makes an extremely compact and workable construction, it being only necessary to unscrew the cap 36 and lift out the armature and the rod 26 together with the springs 22 which are secured to the under side of the armature.

\Vhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: i

In an electro-magnetic valve the combination with a casing provided with inlet, outlet and exhaust ports, a valve for the admission port, an electromagnet, an armature operated thereby, a rod connected with the armature and provided with a valve for controlling the exhaust port, a loose connection between the two valves whereby move ment of the exhaust valve to close the exhaust port will open the admission valve, a spring supporting the admission valve and normally causing the same to close the admission port, and spaced apart leaf springs resting upon the upper end of said magnet and attached to the underside of said armature, said leaf springs being positioned to evenly support said armature and the rod attached thereto.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand, before two subscribing witnesses, this 24th day of February, 1912.

JAMES F. McELROY. 

